Do you want to renovate your kitchen, but you’re on a tight budget? The most affordable way to update your kitchen is to give your cabinets a brand new look with a fresh coat of paint. Kitchen cabinets can be very expensive and tearing them out can be pretty labor intensive. Painting takes time, but it’s simple enough that anyone can get professional level results. It’s also the most eco-friendly option, because your old cabinets won’t end up in a landfill. Wins all around!

Here’s a step-by-step guide to paint your kitchen cabinets just like how the pros do it. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much a little paint can make a world of difference.

• 1. Clear out all the cabinets, counters, and things around the kitchen.
• 2. Remove all the cabinet doors with their respective hinges, drawers and shelves from inside the cabinets.
• 3. Clean everything by using a heavy duty cleaner like TSP to remove accumulated grease and dirt. This will help the paint adhere better.
• 4. Do three rounds of sanding of all the surfaces. The first round of sanding you’ll use #100 sandpaper to scrap off glazed or glossy coating from the cabinets. The second round you’ll use #150 sandpaper to level things off and then the third round you’ll use #220 sandpaper to smooth everything out.
• 5. Remove all the dust after sanding. Use a sticky tack cloth to help get rid of the dust.
• 6. Protect all surfaces that you do not want to paint with plastic and painter’s tape.
• 7. Now it’s prime time. Paint the inside and the outside of your cabinets with Zinsser B-I-N Primer. This primer adheres to any surface, and will help give your paint uniform color and finish.
• 8. After applying the primer, sand all surfaces with #220 sandpaper to remove brush marks. When you finish sanding, dust and clean all the surfaces very well. Use a sticky tack cloth again to get all the dust.
• 9. Now it’s finally time to paint the cabinets. For areas like kitchens and bathrooms, experts usually recommend oil-based paints, because they are stronger. But using a latex paint is also fine. It dries faster and doesn’t turn yellow over time. Also, try to choose an excellent quality paint. Benjamin Moore Aura is a great choice, but it is more expensive.
• 10. Apply the first coat of paint using a good quality brush, keeping a straight line while you apply the paint. You can also coat the edges with a brush and then fill in the rest of the area with the roller. Paint doors, drawer fronts, and shelves on top of a surface or table to prevent paint from dripping.
• 11. Wait until the first layer of paint is dry and re-sand all surfaces, but this time with the even finer #280 sandpaper. Again, dust the surfaces before applying the second and final coat.
• 12. Once all the surfaces are completely dry, put everything back in its place and enjoy your revived kitchen.

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